Lin Mo furrowed his brows, a trace of coldness appearing on his face. He, a peerless Martial Arts Expert, was actually being asked to pretend to be a woman's boyfriend. Did she think he was just some ordinary soldier?
"No."
Lin Mo said coldly.
"Yo, Miss Qin from the Qin Family wants you to pretend to be her boyfriend, and you still think you're at a disadvantage?" Song Yun pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction.
Even Qin Man slightly furrowed her brows, a hint of surprise coloring her delicate face.
Though Qin Man could not compare to the top celebrities in movies and TV shows, she was still a campus beauty in university, with suitors enough to form an enhanced platoon, many of whom were wealthy heirs and high-ranking officials admiring her.
Qin Man was not the type of woman who thought she was the center of the universe just because she was beautiful, but she did not expect Lin Mo to reject her so decisively.
An ordinary man might consider it an honor to be asked by a beautiful woman to pretend to be her boyfriend, but Lin Mo was a dominant force across several cities and even countries. Holy Daughters of Super Sects and Royal Princesses of great nations would willingly strip down and offer themselves to him; why would Lin Mo spare a glance for any ordinary woman?
"Let it go, Yun." Qin Man bit her lip.
However, her best friend Song Yun eyed Lin Mo with displeasure and muttered softly, "What's he pretending to be!"
...
At that time, in a hospital room in Ta County, a skinny thug whose wrist had been crushed by Lin Mo lay in bed, his injured wrist now in a cast.
"Nurse, how old are you this year? Want to be my girlfriend?" The skinny thug said, reaching out his other hand to touch the nurse's smooth leg beside him.
"Sir, please behave yourself." The nurse gasped, her face flushing with both embarrassment and anger.
The young nurse, fresh out of nursing school and just starting work, knew that the skinny man was a thug not to be provoked and could only swallow her anger.
"Hehe, quite tasty, I like it. If you agree to sleep with me, I'll give you a thousand bucks, how about that?" the skinny thug leered as he spoke to the nurse.
Just as the nurse was about to lose her temper, suddenly, the tray she was holding fell to the floor, spilling syringes, bandages, and antiseptic all over. With wide eyes, she looked at the skinny thug, her expression filled with horror.
Noticing the nurse's reaction, the skinny thug realized something was amiss, then felt his skin starting to crack, and waves of excruciating pain almost made him pass out.
Soon, fresh blood seeped from the cracks in his skin, and eventually, the skinny thug transformed into a bloody figure, staining the sheets and bedding red.
"Ah!" The nurse screamed in terror.
Yet, by the time the police and forensic experts arrived, no cause could be determined, and the incident had to be covered up.
"Mr. Bao, the skinny one suddenly died in the hospital, and it was a grim death," a man in a black suit reported, standing next to Wang Bao.
Mr. Bao furrowed his brow and said, "He's just a petty thug; his death means nothing. I still have to meet my master. The Qin Family girl even dared to ask for a negotiation; do they think they're so incredible with the Wu family backing them? Hmph."
After speaking, Mr. Bao stepped into a secluded courtyard, where heaps of white snow blanketed everything, dressing the courtyard in silver. Crystal clear ice ridges hung from the dry branches, refracting a faint cold light.
In such cold weather, a hint of breath from someone's nose and mouth would instantly turn into a puff of white fog.
"Master, I am here." Mr. Bao strode into the courtyard, bowed respectfully, and saluted with his hands clasped.
In the courtyard, an old man wearing a black mandarin jacket and black layered cloth shoes was practicing his fist skill. The old man, around sixty years old, had a mix of black and white hair, cut short, each strand standing on end like steel needles.
The old man seemingly didn't hear him, continuing to practice his punches. Unlike the elderly practicing Tai Chi in parks, the old man, though punching slowly, moved with a rising and falling motion as if riding a horse. His chest expanded like a bellows, drawing in a deep breath.
Mr. Bao bowed and stood aside, not daring to raise his head, simply standing quietly.
However, Mr. Bao's confidant standing behind him couldn't help but frown, recalling from a drunken conversation that the old man was a Martial Arts Expert who once killed a Peak Martial Saint with a single punch.
But when this confidant saw the old man, they displayed a hint of contempt. This fist-practicing old man looked no different from those elderly in the park; what was so special about him? Could his brother have been deceived?
As he harbored these thoughts, the old man suddenly drew his punch to his waist, then thrust out a fierce punch, creating a thunderous explosive sound.
An old jujube tree ten meters in front of the old man instantly burst into fragments.
Mr. Bao exclaimed with surprise and joy, "Master's Half-step Breaking Fist has improved even more."
The confidant standing behind Mr. Bao was utterly dumbstruck; a punch through the air that shattered a jujube tree—if it hit a Martial Arts Master, wouldn't it smash their internal organs to pieces?
The old man withdrew his fist, and a glint of cold light occasionally flashed in his eyes as he spoke indifferently, "You came quite quickly."
Mr. Bao showed a hint of fear on his face and said, "Master, I have been busy with some matters recently and couldn't visit you. I hope you won't blame me."
The old man was named Guo Yi, a disciple of Xingyi Fist. He descended from a line of martial artists; his ancestor was Guo Yunshen, a renowned Martial Arts Master who gained fame with the Half-step Breaking Fist. Guo Yi had also studied Martial Arts from a young age.
Guo Yi dedicated himself to perfecting his Martial Arts, mastering the Half-step Breaking Fist at sixteen, and with a single punch—even at that young age—he could kill a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
"What brings you here?" Guo Yi moved to a bamboo chair nearby, sat down, and half-closed his eyes, resembling an otherworldly expert.
Mr. Bao carefully sat beside him, poured water into a teacup, and while doing so, said, "Master, actually, this time I came to ask for your help. I have an opponent who has reportedly enlisted help from a member of the Wu family of Han City… Master Wei has promised, if we handle this matter, we'll receive three hundred million in earnings, all of which I will honorably give to you."
The confidant standing behind him was shocked upon hearing this; three hundred million! That amount was akin to the appearance fee for the world's top boxer.
"The Wu family of Han City is a lineage of the Baji Fist. Thirty years ago, I even fought Wu Longshen from the Wu family, but I lost to him by one move," Guo Yi reminisced with a sigh.
"Does that mean even you are not his match?" Mr. Bao couldn't hide his worry.
Guo Yi suddenly opened his eyes wide, shooting out a cold glare, "That was thirty years ago. Now, I have been in seclusion for ten years! If he can withstand three punches from me now, he can be considered an expert!" Mr. Bao's face lit up with great happiness, then, after agreeing on a time, he left with his confidant.